Gliederung

The auto never system plays a key role in mediating the cardiovascular changes during obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), while the discussion on parasympathetic nerve system (PNS) activity during sleep apnea were still not enough. The presented study investigated the correlation between cumulative PNS activity and OSA among 76 patients with OSA, by coarse graining spectral analysis of heart rate variability. The results showed cumulative PNS function and PNS peaks were lowly but significantly correlated with OSA severity (r = –0.071, p<0.005 and r = –0.267, p<0.05 respectively), and linear regression equation could be established. Further more, significant correlation was also observed in juvenile and adult groups, and in moderate and severe groups, but not in elder and mild groups. The results indicated that PNS activity might serve as a useful index to evaluate OSA too, combined with other invasive examinations.